Fries garnished with salt and aromatic herbs. LIV FRIIS-LARSEN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Fries have lost their luster, even though paradoxically, they have never been so deeply rooted in France. According to the French Ministry of Agriculture, potato cultivation in 2025 will extend across nearly 200,000 hectares – almost double the area from 10 years ago. But most of the roughly 8.3 million metric tons of potatoes expected this year will end up in factories to be turned into frozen fries, tucked into small cardboard packages by industry giants such as the Canadian company McCain and Belgian firms Clarebout, Agristo and Ecofrost.
This expansion has been a defeat for food enthusiasts. While, from a nutritional standpoint, frozen fries (often labeled with a Nutri-Score A) and baked in the oven without added fat are less caloric than their homemade, deep-fried counterparts, their taste and texture are lacking. Frozen fries are bland and uninspiring.
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Dining and Cooking